BRS blames BJP govt. at Centre, Congress govt. in State for helping AP draw excessive water

Former Minister S. Niranjan Reddy speaking in Wanaparthy on Friday.
| Photo Credit: Arrangement

HYDERABAD

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has blamed the NDA Government at the Centre led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress party’s Government in the State for “large-scale water diversion and excessive drawal of Krishna water than its allocation by Andhra Pradesh”.

“With the help of the BJP Government at the Centre, previous Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Government and the present N. Chandrababu Naidu Government in Andhra Pradesh had been diverting Krishna water in large volumes and drawing it excessively,” former minister and BRS leader S. Niranjan Reddy alleged, while addressing a press conference in Wanaparthy on Friday.

Coupled with it, turning a blind eye by the Congress Government on A.P.’s actions have left both Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs, the joint facilities of Telangana and AP, with little water now, despite the fact that about 869 tmc ft of surplus water in Krishna reservoir had reached the sea this water year.

Seeking to know from the Congress Government as to why it had put Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme in cold storage, Mr. Niranjan Reddy reminded that it was the previous BRS Government that had completed Kalwakurthy, Bhima, Nettempadu and Koilsagar Lift Irrigation Schemes taken up by the previous governments and realised their irrigation potential.

He stated that a part of the PRLIS could be brought into use by spending another ₹1,000 crore to ₹1,200 crore, but the Congress Government had cleared only the pending bills of the contractors and had not spent anything on the project works since it took over in December 2023.

Speaking separately, along with former BRS legislators of combined Nalgonda district, another former minister G. Jagadish Reddy said either it was in combined AP or after formation of Telangana, Congress and BJP had always been working against the interests of the State.

He suggested Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to speak against the Centre and AP Government instead of making baseless allegations against BRS.

Mr. Jagadish Reddy mentioned that it was BRS (TRS) that had quit the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Cabinet to protest expansion of Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, while the present ministers maintained silence and continued in the Cabinet.